Sometimes you need gems, and you don’t have the space, ventilation, or right temperatures to use resin. So I turn to my favorite cheap medium: hot glue! I’ve used this technique before, and I love to experiment and see what works with it. So let’s make the gems shine with mica powder.
The technique does have some imperfections due to bubbles in the hot glue. However, the resulting gem is still quite beautiful and works great for a shiny resin-free gem.
The process uses very little mica powder, even a gem as large as the giant brooch gem above. This does use a lot of hot glue so make sure to have a high-temp glue gun with lots of sticks ready to make this work. You’ll also want a flexible mold, usually rubber or silicone, so you can easily push the gem out of it. I use candy and soap molds for most of my glue gun gem work and they’re pretty easy to find online in a variety of shapes.
And how heavy are glue gems? Not heavy at all. Even this large one made of multiple glue sticks barely weighs anything. You can guestimate the weight by holding the equivalent number of glue sticks in your hand. This large gem weighs about 5 glue sticks, which is still quite light and easy to attach to a brooch.
Skill level: beginner-friendly
Cost: relatively budget-friendly to start
Materials:
- Glue gun sticks. I use crystal clear glue sticks
- Mica powder. I bought a set online but you can also buy sample packs at the craft store
- Flexible mold of choice
Supplies:
- High-temp glue gun
- Fluffy small brush. I use an old makeup brush (not used for makeup anymore) but any fluffy brush will do
- Paper towels for clean up
Dusting the mold
To make the glue not look like glue, the mold needs to have a thin layer of mica powder dusted on it. It’s just enough to cover the surface of the mold as the glue generally won’t pick up anything thicker than that.
Start by opening your mica jar and dip your fluffy brush into it. Get a little bit on the tip of the brush, just enough for your brush to start changing colors. A little bit goes a long way, and a single dip can coat a full mold for a small gem.
Take the brush and paint the inside of the mold with the powder. It’s a lot like painting eyeshadow or a light coat of acrylic paint with this process. You don’t want to push down on the mold or grind the brush else you’ll get gaps or clumps. Just brush the mold gently and lightly.
For larger molds, you’ll need to dip your brush a few times into the mica powder before painting the side of the mold once again. As long as you’re painting gently, the mica powder will generally stick to the side of a silicone mold and stay there.
Use a bright light to inspect the mold and make sure the cavity is fully coated. Touch up any spots lightly with powder. Make sure not to blow or sneeze on the mold or mica will go everywhere and your workspace will be shimmery. I may or may not be speaking from experience here.
Glue the gem
Each gem must be glued in one go and before the glue starts cooling off, so have your pack of glue sticks ready. Small gems can take half a stick of glue, but that large brooch at the start of this post took about 5 sticks.
To glue your gem, simply squeeze the glue gun over the cavity and let gravity do the rest.
The glue may start pooling at the top but as long as you’re using a high-temp glue gun, the glue will settle pretty quickly on its own. don’t shake the mold as it knocks the mica off the sides.
If you’re gluing a really big gem that requires a lot of glue sticks, swap hands as you work to keep them from getting tired as you fill the large mold cavity with glue. When a glue stick runs out, simply load the next one and keep gluing.
Cooling
This is still hot glue, after all, so you’ll need to wait for it to cool. If you stick the mold near the edge of the table, you can touch the side of the mold cavity to see how cool it is (give it a few minutes before doing this else you’ll burn your fingertips). It takes a good 10 minutes or so for it to properly cool when the glue is this dense, longer for the larger gems.
If you’re using crystal clear glue, it’s actually really easy to see when it cools. The glue will turn a cloudy color likely due to how dense the glue is in the mold.
Once the gem has mostly cooled, stick your fingers into the backside of the mold and push the glue gem out. Now you can enjoy your mica glue gem!
Cleaning
Mica can be a bit messy, and you want to clean your molds to make sure there’s no clumping or cross-contamination of colors when making your next gem. It also keeps extra mica powder off your shelf when you go to store the mold.
For the most part, the glue does lift the majority of the powder out of the mold, but some may be left inside the cavity. Simply wipe the cavity with a damp paper towel. You’ll probably find that the mica powder gets stubborn on the flat surface of the mold (and mine is now caked in different colors) but the cavity wipes pretty clean. for the flat surface, wipe that off as much as you can, but likely you’ll end up with a shimmery mold anyway. You can use dish soap and water to clean it off as well.
Thanks for reading this fun little tutorial on my mica gem experiment! It’s a fun way to create gems without resin and make them really shiny. And a little mica goes a long way, so you can make as many shiny gems as your project demands.
If you’re interested in a similar method, I’ve also made glitter hot glue gems for my projects as well: Resin-free glitter gems. Both methods are great for cheap, indoor-safe gems that truly shine.
Let me know what gems you make with this tutorial! @ me on social media so I can admire your work!
Leafnin Cosplay 